West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-02-25
ed and his traps destroyed.

beavers as they go to work. SO long
as they don't scent or see you they
will attend strictly to business and
work with dispatch, completeness,
and speed that would be well for
some of our own highly civilized
specimens of humanity to pattern
after. The CAL correspondent once
had an opportunity to witness the
construction of beaver dam, and
this is how the industrious little
fellows went about it: In the short
time they came under my observa-
tion the small party of perhaps
dozen families cut down no less than
hundred trees. Some of the trees
were foot and half in diameter,
although TIE average was about IL
inches. A few Of these little work
men would go 100 feet from the
stream to cut down small aspen
trees, which was done by gnawing a
belt around the entire circumference
that soon caused it to totter and fall
20 the earth: but here the sagacity
of the quadrupeds came into play.
Apparently understanding that they
could not transport heavy timber
across dry ground to water when
any distance back from a creek they
would choose small trees, and after
telling them cut the same into con-
venient lengths and convey every
single stick to the stream.
After the trees are felled and the
limbs cut off they are dragged to
the desired spot and then the fun
begins. If the stream is particu-
larly swift and rapid one the diff
Guilty of laying the foundation is
something dreadful. One end must
be stuck in the mud, and this job is
usually performed by the patriarch
of the family. AS beaver can stay
beneath the ewater only three minutes
at stretch they must attend strict
ly to business while below or fail in
the Job. An old fellow will take
hold of stick IL inches or so from
the end, and, making a quick dive,
inserts the point in the soft mud at
the bottom. A spot where the bot
tom of the stream is mud is always
selected for the site of dam. When
a few are anchored in this way the
other workers float the logs and
green poles down stream, and bring
them up rrossways against the up
rights.
The beavers saw working 1oated
some logs q distance of full mile
down stream before reaching the
anchorage. Another detachment go
to work with their fiat tails and plas
ter mud and leaves against the
crevices. When the thing begins to
solidify the job is practically COM
plcted, for debris of every kind float
ing down with the current lodges
against the dam, and is utilized 70
the best advantage by sentineIs al
ways on the watch. If break oc,
ours at any hour of the day or night
the whole colony will turn out, kit
tens and all, and work indefatigably
until the damage is repaired.
But while the beaver tribe are
everlasting workers, and always
with an object, too, exercising engi-
neering skill which is rarely equaled
and never surpassed by man. yet the
fact remains that with all their IN
dustry and thrift they lack the fore
sight and intelligence Of humanity.
On the borlers OF Beaver lake in the
Park are hundreds Of trees that are
merely gir'led, or cut half way
through.
The beavers did not seem to have
any idea of directions. One large
cottonwood hal fallen directly away
from the water, its top breaking
against the foot of a mountain. An
other OF the large ones after falling
few feet had cdged against anoth
err tree, but alter committing this
blunder they evidently SET to work
telling the third tree. which in fall
ing had lodged aga nst a fourth tree
where it still remains. a large cot-
tonwood On the opposite shore shows
a curious mlscalculation OF emitting
one side about two feet higher than
the other occasioncd by the fact
that a log lay against it on the up
hill side. One beaver worked above
while another worked on the ground
and a largc rotten limb had been
cut away inorder TO make room 10
work with freedom. After all it
was labor lost, rs the tree in ques-
t;cn was never utilized. One sGump
from which the tree had been cut
was NJ less than three and one-half
feet ia diameter. 1t is close 10 the
road and can easily be seen by tour
lists passing the spot.
There arc numerous evidences all
along the Yellowstone River of form
er beaver habitsiions. Some OF the
colonics must have contained from
100 to 1000 members. A few miles
above here, near Clark's Fork OF the
Yellowstone. is cluster OF beaver
burrows showing accommodations
for 800 population. A beaver lives
on cordwood. His favorite diet is the
bark of aspens, then willows, cotton